
Qass_ 

Book 



i 






No. 30. Serial. Pric* 16 < is. 



THE 



PULPIT AND ROSTRUM: 

£wmon$, COvattoivsi, popular £ccturc$, etc, 

ft4(A 



%\\ ittemoriam. 

A SERMON DELIVERED OX SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 1865, 

IN THE 

|vcfornub |)rotet;int gluttb Clutrrtr of pcaptk, ptol*ts*i. 

By REV. HENRY P. THOMPSON. 



NEW YORK: 

SGHEEMEBHORN, BANCROFT & CO., 

13 GRAND STR E E T : 

PHILADELPHIA, 512 ARCH STREET. 

AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY, NEW VOKK. 

June. 1§€5. 



PULPIT AND ROSTRUM, PAMPHLET SERIAL, 

Contains Reports of the best Sermons, Lectures, Orations, etc. 

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The object of this Serial is to preserve in convenient form the best thoughts of our most 
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The proofs are always corrected by the authors. Great favor has already been shown the 
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LIST OF NUMBERS ALREADY PUBLISHED. 

1 — CHRISTIAN RECREATION AND UNCHRISTIAN AMUSEMENT, by Rev. T. L. Ccvi.kr. 

2 —MENTAL CULTURE FOR WOMEN, by Rev. H. W. Beecher and Hon. James T. Brady. 

3— GRANDEURS OP ASTRONOMY, by Prof. O. M. Mitchell. 

4'— PROGRESS AND DEMANDS OK CHRISTIANITY, by Rev. Wm. H. Milburn. 

fc— JESUS AND THE RESURRECTION, by Rev. A. Kingman Nott. 

6.— TRIBUTE TO HUMBOLDT, by Hon. George Bancroft, Rev. Dr. Thompson, Profs. Agas^iz. 
Likbkr, Bacue, and Gcyot. 

7.— COM I NO TO CHRIST, by Rev. Henry M. ScunnF.R, D. D., M D 

8.— DANIEL WEBSTER, Oration by Hon. Edward Everett, at the inauguration of the statue ol 
Webster, at Boston. 

9.— A CHEERFUL TEMPER, a Thanksiri vins Discourse, by Rev. Wm. Adams, D. D. 

JO.— DEATH OF WASHINGTON IRVING, by Hon. Edward Everett and Rev. John A. Todd. 

lh_ GEORGE WASHINGTON, Oration by Hon. Tuos. S. Babcock, at the Inauguration of the 
statue of Washington, February 22d, lSfr* 

12.— TRAVEL, ITS PLEASURES, ADVANTAGES, AND REQUIREMENTS, by J. H. Siddons. 

13'— ITALIAN INDEPENDENCE, by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, Rev. Henry W. Bellows, 
D. D., Rev. Jos. P. Thompson, I). D., and Prof. O. M. Mitchell. 

14.1!.SUCCESS OF OUR REPUBLIC, Oration by Hon. Edward Everett, in Boston, Jnly 4th, 1860. 

15 and I6-— (Two in one, 25 cents.) WEBSTER'S SPEECH, in the United States Senate, on the 
FORCE BILL and JACKSON'S PROCLAMATION to South Carolina in 1833. 

17 and 18.-(Two in one, 25 cents.) WEBSTER'S REPLY TO HAYNE. 

19.— LAFAYETTE, Oration by Hon. Charles Scmner. 

20.— THE CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, by J. Lothrop Motley. 

21 and 22.— (Two in one, 25 cents.) "T-HE QUESTIONS OF THE DAY." The great oration ot 
Edward Everett. 

23.— PROVIDENCE IN THE WAR : A Thanksgiving Discourse, bytheRev. S. D. Burchard, D. D. 

24.— THE SOUTHERN REBELLION, and the Constitutional Powers of the Republic for its Sup- 
pression. By the Hon. Henry Winter Davis. 

25.— THE WAR FOR THE UNION. An Address by Wendell Phillips. 

26 and 27.-(Two in one, 25 cents.) THREE UNLIKE SPEECHES. THE ABOLITIONISTS AND 
THEIR RELATIONS TO THE WAR, by Wm. Lloyd Garrison. THE WAR NOT FOR EM AN 
C1PATION OR CONFISCATION, br Hon. Garrett Davis, of Kentucky. Also, AFRICAN 
SLAVERY, THE CORNER-STONE OF THE SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY, by Hon. Alex. H. 
Stevens. 

28.— THE WAR ; A SLAVE UNION OR A FREE? By Hon. Martin F. Conway. 

29.— ORATION BY HON. GEORGE BANCROFT, before the citir.ens of New York, on the 22d of 
February, 1862, to which is added WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS. 

30.-THE SABBATH, AND ITS RELATIONS TO THE STATE: delivered before one of the 
largest religious audiences ever assembled in New York. 

31. _A SKETCH OF PARSON BROWNLVW Coy Theodore Tilton), and his Speeches on the 
Sufferings of Union men at the South, and the Irreligwus Character of the Rebellion, fully and correeiiy 
reported, with the applause and observations of.the audience inserted, giving a life-like view of the en- 
thusiastic reception which the " Parson" received for his unconquerable devotion to the Union. 

In these Speeches Mr. Brownlow narrates in his mort eccentric atid graphic at)/ > !e, many and various 
incidents of the Rebellion, which came to his personal knowledge. As a record of the times, these 
peeches are worthy to be read and preserved by every patriot and historian. 

32.— "SIGNS OF PROMISE." A Discourse by Rev. J. B. Thompson. 

33.— REV. HENRY WARD BEECHER'S FORT SUMTER ORATION. April 14th, 1865. 

84 and 35.— HON. GEORGE BANCKOFT'S ORATION in New York, April 25, at tbe 
OWqutr-s of ABRAHAM LINCOLN : THE FUNERAL ODE, bv William Cullen Bryant. 
THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION, Jan. 1. 1863: Mr.LINCOLNS LAST INAU- 
GURAL ADDRESS; A CORRECT PORTRAIT OF THE LATE PRESIDENT. 

36.-IN MEMORIAM, bv Rkv. H. P. Thompson. 



SCHERMERHORN, BANCROFT & CO., Publishers, 

130 Grand Street, New York* 



3n ill cm or tarn. 



SERMON 



DELIVERED 



OX SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 1865, 



Momuft f tat Dutch CImtrir of Ucaptlt, p. %. 



BY 

REV. HENRY P. THOMPSON. 



NEW YORK: 

JOHN F. TROW, PRINTER, 50 GREENE STREET. 
1865. 










T*i 



COEKESPONDENCE. 

Peapack, April 17, 1865. 
Eev. H. P. Thompson : 

Deae Sie : Having listened with great pleasure to the words 
of cheer contained in your sermon of yesterday, commingled as 
they were with the sad notes of mourning of a great nation over 
her chosen chief, and believing that the dissemination of such sen- 
timents may be productive of good, we respectfully request a copy 
of the same for publication. 

Andeew Raeick, 
"William Hillaed, 
Petee T. SuTPnEX, 
B. V. Van Aesdale, 
J. Haeeison Linabuey, 
John "W. Demun, 
Dayid Apgae, 
Petee De Mott. 

Peapack, April 18, 1865. 
Gentlemen : Your note requesting the manuscript of my ser- 
mon on Sunday last, is at hand. 

The sermon was first prepared with reference to the recent 
victories of our armies, and the duties and privileges of Christians 
in connection therewith ; and then, on Saturday night, hurriedly 
adapted to the circumstances of mourning and sorrow which came 
so suddenly upon us. It was prepared simply for the benefit of my 
own congregation ; but, relying otiycCur judgment as to its further 
usefulness, I cheerfully place it afc-your disposal. 

Very truly yours, 

Heney P. Thompson. 

To Messrs. [A. Raeick, William Hillaed, P. T. Sutphen, and 
others. 



3n ill em or tarn 



Isaiah xxi. 11, 12. — "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, 
what of the night? The watchman said, The morning comcth, and 
also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ve : return, come." 

This brief prophecy concerning Duniah, or Iduniea, con- 
sists of few, but bold and highly figurative, expressions, and 
represents the prophet, though at present enduring affliction 
with his people, yet as confident and hopeful in reference to 
the future. 

A few words of explanation concerning the time and cir- 
cumstances and the original application of the prophecy; and 
then, for the main body of the discourse, we shall, taking the 
prophet's stand-point, and considering the question of the text 
as addressed to us, endeavor to answer it in its application to 
ourselves. 

I. Let it be observed that the whole is dramatic — the 
prophet himself speaking for all concerned. The prophecy 
itself was probably spoken during the time of the Babylonish 
captivity. It is night with the people ; the night of a dark 
and dreary, and terrible captivity. It is a time of calamity, 
darkness, and distress. But a little time ago they were pros- 
perous aud happy in their own land. Now, in a strange land, 



they mourned in what seemed a hopeless captivity. Under 
these circumstances the prophet is represented as placed on a 
watch-tower, looking anxiously for the issue — watching closely 
every turn in affairs, whether anything betokens the release of 
his people. Standing thus upon his tower, as the watchful 
guardian of his people, noting every turn in the political 
affairs of the nation, and also of their enemies, and drawing 
his conclusions from such careful observations, he is addressed 
by one from Idumea. This was the land bordering on the 
south of that of the Jews, and its inhabitants, if they did not 
take part with the Babylonians in destroying Jerusalem, at 
any rate exulted over its destruction, saying, " Raze it, raze it, 
even to the foundation." (Ps. 137). This Idumean is repre- 
sented as calling out to the prophet and tauntingly inquiring, 
" What of the night ? " Is there prospect of deliverance ? 
Will Israel's Grod come to the rescue ? Are the signs of the 
times such as to give hope of speedy release ? Or, is there no 
such hope, and merely a prospect that these calamities are to 
continue ? " Watchman, what of the night ? " 

To this the prophet returns a prompt reply, carrying with 
it both instruction and warning to the enemies of his people. 
" The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the 
nights In place of the night of darkness and calamity, and 
mourning and distress, which now hangs over the people of 
God, light and joy shall arise. " The morning cometh — and 
also the night." The morning cometh to us; and when it is 
come, mark it, the night cometh also, but not to us. When 
the morning dawns upon us radiant with light and joy, night, 
with its pall of darkness, shall fall upon our enemies. You 
ask, " What of the night ? " I tell you plainly; " the morn- 
ing cometh " to us, but the night also — a night of calamity, 
of darkness, of overwhelming defeat and dismay to our ene- 
mies. Having given the inquirer this answer, the prophet in- 



tiraates that if he was disposed to ask further concerning the 
matter, he should not hesitate to do it. " If ye will inquire, 
inquire ye." The matter was now clear to the watchman's 
eye, and he was disposed to give the information. And yet, 
even in this warning, behold the heart of the man of God 
going out in tenderness, even toward his enemies — toward the 
enemies of his nation, the enemies of righteousness and truth. 
I have answered your question — but now, if you seriously wish 
to learn further concerning the matter, ask with earnestness 
and with proper regard to the prophetic character and for 
God, and it shall be told thee. And then he adds, " Return, 
come." Turn from your evil ways ; repent of this your great 
sin and folly in opposing God, and the ways of truth and 
righteousness, and then " come," and you may be accepted of 
Him, and the night which is now threatened may yet be dis- 
pelled, and the morning, bright with joy, yet dawn upon you. 
Thus far in explication of the text. The prophecy is brief, 
but beautiful — beautiful in the promptness and confidence of 
its utterance — beautiful in the fulness and importance of the 
truth it contains, " alike for the afflicted and persecuted 
friends, and the persecuting and taunting foes of God." 
Such were the original circumstances under which these words 
were uttered, and such the application of them in reference to 
the friends and enemies of God and of righteousness. 

But it was not merely for those times and circumstances 
that these words were spoken. We are taught that " all 
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for 
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in right- 
eousness." They were written then for our instruction, for 
our warning, for our comfort. Let us then 

II. Faithfully consider and apply them, remembering that 
they are God's words, not man's, and that they were written 



by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for our consideration and 
profit, 

1. Specifically to individuals. There are times and cir- 
cumstances in the history of every one which form a parallel 
with those we have just reviewed; times when sorrow and 
darkness gather round, and the soul for the time is bereft of 
peace and joy and hope. The affliction may be in mind, body 
or estate ; and the cloud may remain for a longer or a shorter 
period, as God deems best for his own glory or the good of the 
afflicted. In a thousand forms man is subject to trial, and 
needs the cheering rays of God's word of promise to support 
him therein. And it is when man is enabled to take hold, by 
faith, of those promises; when he can clearly see and fully 
realize that God doeth all things well, and that He is, by 
affliction or trial sent, but accomplishing, in the best way, His 
own infinitely wise and holy purposes — it is when man fully 
realizes this, that he rises above his sorrows, and looks for- 
ward with hope and confidence to the brighter morn which 
shall ere long appear. 

It is this assured confidence that God lives and rules in 
heaven and in earth ; that He takes cognizance of all that 
transpires, and that he is directing all things for the further- 
ance of his own glory and his people's good ; 'tis this that 
forms the " silvery lining " to any cloud, no matter how 
heavy or how long soever it may have hung, and gives the 
promise of the coming morn. To one thus sustained and 
comforted and cheered, a the morning cometh." Night, with 
its dark clouds, may have hovered long, but when thus he 
takes hold on God, the morning is at hand. 

2. What may thus be said of individuals is likewise ap- 
plicable to communities and nations, for they also are subject 
to sorrow, trial, and grief. 

And surely words of divine promise, of comfort, and joy, 



and hope, were never more applicable than those of my text to 
our own nation now ! 

A long, dark, dreary night has rested on the nation. As 
the clouds increased and grew heavier and blacker, till at 
length they burst in all the wild fury of rebellious war over 
the land, and as the demoniac energy of those in rebellion 
seemed, for a time, successfully to threaten the very life of 
the Government, men stood appalled and dismayed. When 
they saw the Government of their fathers, which had proved 
so great a blessing ; which had been built up by the people, 
and for the people ; which had been cemented by so many 
tears and prayers, and trials and sufferings ; and which had 
already become a beacon-light for the down-trodden and op- 
pressed of all nations — when they saw that Government ruth- 
lessly assailed and its very existence jeopardized, men's hearts, 
for a time, sank within them. And even when we had strong 
confidence in God, that He would not allow such gross wicked, 
ness eventually to triumph, yet the trial was accompanied by 
so much at which the heart sickens ; by so great sacrifice of 
blood and treasure and life ; so many homes were made deso- 
late and so many hearts made to bleed, that, ever and anon, 
we were ready, as we looked over the dark scene, to exclaim, 
in the words of the text, " Watchman, what of the night ? 
What of the night ? " 

But now, God be praised, the night seems almost past. To 
the question of the text, as thus applied, we answer, with 
grateful hearts, " The morning cometh ! " With what beam- 
ing countenances, with what cheerful expressions, with what 
bounding hearts of joy have the people of this land congratu- 
lated each other over the events of the past two weeks! The 
night of rebellion — of that which has ca\ised untold suffering 
and trial and sorrow — is well-nigh spent. And now the 
" morning" breaks ! This tremendous conflict, this gigantic 



8 

strife, which through four long years has been waged with un- 
abated fury, which has clothed in mourning almost every 
family in the land, and which counts its victims not only by 
tens but hundreds of thousands, is at length about to close. 

The Government has been maintained, righteousness has 
been vindicated, and high-handed and organized wickedness 
been well-nigh crushed. " The Republic has been saved, and 
not only saved, but exalted as a witness for the rights of man 
and the truth of God before all nations. Its cause, from the 
first hour of the war, was justified by faith ; through its con- 
tinuance it has been sanctified by loyal blood ; and now this 
cause is glorified by the solemn approval of the God of the 
whole earth." 

It is right that we should rejoice and be glad, that now, at 
length, " the morning cometh." It is right that we should, 
with grateful hearts, give thanks to God — the God of battles 
— that he has given us the victory. And as, with glad hearts, 
we emerge from the trial which has so long pressed upon us, 
let us pray God, let us humbly and earnestly beseech Him, to 
direct us henceforth to live to His glory. Sin must be punish- 
ed ; such is the immutable law of God's government; and as 
nations have no existence hereafter, their sins must meet their 
punishment in this world. May we not hope that ours have 
now been expiated ? 

But now as to the future. Do you believe that God can 
turn the hearts of the children of men to the ways of right- 
eousness and truth ? That He can give wisdom and discre- 
tion, and honesty of purpose and all needful qualifications 
to our rulers V And do you believe that He hears and answers 
prayer ? See to it, then, that you be not chargeable with 
utter neglect of duty in this matter, in that you never 
prayed for God's blessing on your country ; that you never 
asked Him to give our rulers wisdom and to turn our people to 



the practice of righteousness and truth ; that you never asked 
even that you yourselves might be led by God's Spirit to know 
and to do, what is right in your relations as citizens. 

God is the Sovereign Ruler, and righteousness and truth 
shall prevail, let who will cavil or resist. In this assurance 
we rejoice, and our faith is confirmed therein as we Bee it ex- 
emplified in the promise of the bright, approaching morn for 
our land. But as we rejoice, and as we firmly stand for (hi 
right and resist the wrong, let us, in word and deed, say 
to those who have done evil, " Return," " Come." The 
prophet declared that " the morning " was at hand for those 
that feared the Lord and walked in Hh ways, but that " the 
night " was also coming for those who resisted the ways of 
righteousness. And while he boldly and fearlessly uttered 
the warning against evil and the evil-doers, he cordially and 
tenderly entreated them to turn from the evil unto right- 
eousness. Even so, while ive stand, firm for the right, let 
us also show that we are ever ready to welcome repentant 
returning ones to the true brotherhood of righteousness and 
peace. 

— — ^B^^— — — ^^M 

But lo ! in the midst of all our rejoicings and the bright 
hopes which have so lately cheered and animated us, the nation 
is suddenly — Oh, how suddenly ! — plunged into profoundest 
sorrow by the untimely death of its Executive and head. 
But forty-eight hours ago the nation was at the height of joy- 
ful exultation over the decisive victories which gave promise 
of a speedy peace and a restored Union to a long-suffering 
people. To-day every loyal heart must suffer the terrible 
shock, and swell with overburdening grief at the calamity 
which has been permitted to befal us in the assassination of 
our Chief Magistrate. The flags that were so lately flung to 



10 

the breeze in token of a nation's joy that peace and an estab- 
lished Government and Union and brotherhood were so near 
at hand, to-day, draped in the emblems of mourning, must hang 
at half-mast, for its chosen chief is dead. The nation mourns ; 
for her honest, her brave, and fearless, and yet tender and 
sympathizing ruler and head lies low in death. She mourns ; 
for it is the commander-in-chief of her army and navy who has 
fallen — who has fallen, too, not by disease, nor in the accepted 
peril of war — but by the foul stroke of a cowardly assassin. 
The nation mourns, because just now, on the eve of reunion 
and reconstruction, she looked with high hopes and with confi- 
dence to the unswerving integrity, the manly independence, 
and the unfaltering firmness of her Chief Magistrate to guide 
her safely through the dangers which yet beset her. 

" The plot included the murder of Secretary Seward also, 
and all the circumstances show that the same political fury 
and hate which lit the flames of the great rebellion, inspired 
these hellish deeds ; and by so much as these detract from 
the splendor of our triumph in its utter subjugation, by so 
much do they brand with a deeper and more damning infamy 
its plotters, its leaders, its abettors, its sympathizers, its char- 
acter in*impartial history." 

Abraham Lincoln is dead ! His work is done, and its 
record is on high. Never man had greater responsibilities laid 
upon him ; never man was called to a more difficult and try- 
ing position, and never did man receive more overwhelming 
testimony of the gratitude and trust of a confiding people. 
But he is no more. His memory will be embalmed in a grate- 
ful nation's heart for untold generations yet to come. 

Turn we once again to the question, of the text, and ask, 
" Watchman, what of the night ? " Under this new darkness — 
this seemingly enigmatical dispensation, " What of the night ? " 
I answer, be firm and undismayed, for " The morning 



11 

Cometh." You and I may fall by the way ere we behold the 
full glory of its ushering in; but, " with a glory beaming far," 
it surely comes. The glory of a peace and prosperity and 
brotherhood which the past has not known. The signs of the 
times portend this. 

God is teaching us, by this sad event, " Not to put our 
trust in man ; " " not to put our trust in jwinces" He is 
teaching us that the preservation of the Government, the safety 
of the Republic, does not depend upon any one man, or set of 
men ; only let the people learn righteousness, let them fear the 
Lord and, putting their trust in Him, walk worthy of their high 
privileges, and all will be well. The republic has been saved 
through Divine mercy nerving the hearts and strengthening 
the arms of the loyal millions as they passed through fire and 
blood to attain this purpose. Saved, "so as by fire;" yet 
saved, honored, and exalted in the eyes of all nations ! And 
though, one by one, the men of Israel die, the God of Israel 
lives; and if the people will but trust in Him, working 
righteousness and eschewing evil, the morning, radiant with 
light and blessing, shall soon again dawn upon us. 

3. Thus, too, not only for ourselves" and for the nation, but 
in a wider application, for the world, shall righteousness and 
truth prevail over wickedness and error. 

"When Christ came, the whole worl^ had become corrupt, 
and save only the few thousands of Israel, had lost even the 
true knowledge of God. Satan's kingdom had taken deep 
root ; its branches towered toward heaven and filled all the 
earth : and as a consequence men lived in wretchedness and 
woe, and died in hopelessness and despair. 

Now from all this Christ came to deliver us. He came to 
call men back to happiness and God. But that this might be 
accomplished Satan's power must be overthrown. Knowledge 
must take the place of ignorance ; a true icorship that of super- 



12 

stition ; holiness of vileness ; justice of oppression y and love to 
God and man become the ruling motive in the hearts and lives 
of men. The standard of righteousness and truth was then set 
up against every form of iniquity. Henceforth a continued, 
vigorous, determined warfare was to be waged against the 
powers of hell which had so long ruled the world ; and wher- 
ever and in whatever form evil manifested itself, it was to be 
met and resisted and overcome by the power which had been 
inaugurated and put in operation for that purpose. He who 
came to destroy the works of the devil and to restore man to 
his God, established the means adapted to that end. The 
spiritual religion which Christ gave to man, bearing with it 
the energizing power of Divinity, is accomplishing that work ; 
and though it seem long delayed, it shall, in His own good 
time, be made complete. That system of religion is '■ the 
mighty power of God to the pulling down of the strongholds 
of Satan" in every form. It is one which encircled in its de- 
sign and was to bless by its influence the whole family of man. 
As such this system of Divine truth has gone forth in the ages 
that are past, not as a feeble instrumentality, but as mighty to 
the overthrowing of Satan's kingdom. Millions in the past 
have been enlightened thereby and brought under its saving 
power. Mighty forms of organized wickedness and oppression 
have been overcome ; and what it has done in the past it is 
still accomplishing, with continually increasing power, through- 
out the nations of the earth. 

In its beginnings, indeed, it seemed but a little cloud — the 
size of a man's hand — shedding its drops of influence in the 
land of Palestine. But as we stand and look upon the moral 
world to-day, we can but exclaim, with confidence and hope 
and triumph, " The morning cometh ! " No longer in the 
land of Palestine alone, amid a few thousands only, with here 
aud there a little company to disseminate the truth, but in all 



13 

quarters of the earth, in Europe, Asia, America ; yes, and in 
Africa, too, and in the islands of the sea, millions have felt its 
power and turned to God. The " stone which was cut out of 
the mountain without hands " is fast becoming " the mountain 
which shall fill the whole earth." Righteousness and truth 
and holiness shall eventually triumph. 

And amid all the noise and din of war ; amid the battle 
cloud and smoke which have so long hung over our own be- 
loved land, we discern the onward march, the steady advance 
of truth and righteousness over error and iniquity. A long, 
dark, dreary scene of evil has prevailed, but lo, the morning 
breaks ! 

And so throughout the moral wastes of earth — the world 
thrown open to the Gospel, the increased and increasing spirit 
of liberality among God's people ; the rapid multiplication of 
copies of the Word of God, every church built, every herald 
of the cross sent forth, every sermon and tract and word 
printed or spoken for truth, hastens and adds new promise of 
the coming millennial morn. "The morning cometh " for truth, 
and righteousness, and holiness, and God : " And also the 
night " for unrighteousness, iujustice, oppression, and iniquity 
of every form. These may yet linger long before they are 
finally and fully overcome. Satan, working through the evil 
hearts and inclinations of men, will not readily yield the prize 
of a world of human souls. But as surely as the morning 
breaks for truth and holiness, so surely comes the night to 
Satan and all his emissaries and works. The word of the 
Lord hath spoken it, and in His own time He will bring it to 
pass. His truth is marching on to the destruction of every 
opposing force, and all the past gives promise of assured suc- 
cess. 

If the workers of iniquity, if those who despise or con- 
temn God's righteous ways will inquire farther about this 



14 

matter, " inquire ye." The vision is clear ; the revelation 
complete ; the promise sure. Satan and his works and fol- 
lowers shall be overthrown. God's truth, and power, and jus- 
tice, and indignation, too, shall be known against His enemies 
as well as His love and mercy toward them that fear and love 
His name. 

In view of all this, know assuredly that all opposition to 
God shall be overcome. He will be exalted God over all ; 
and all who continue in rebellion against Him, who turn aside 
from His ways, who will not be governed by His truth, lose 
not only the richest enjoyments and blessings here and here- 
after, but ensure to themselves everlasting punishment and 
woe. Now He calls you by His grace. .Now He pleads with 
you, saying, " Return," " Come," and offers you pardon and 
blessing, such as only God can give. 

Again, to those who profess to love and serve God : Are 
you rendering a real and hearty service, or is it only par- 
tial ? Is it your great aim to be entirely conformed to the 
will of God, or are you keeping back, as Ananias did, a part 
of the price, reserving the privilege of exhibiting an un- 
holy, unbrotherly, and unchristian temper whenever your ideas 
of propriety, or your prejudiced views may be crossed or 
thwarted by the truth of God, as exhibited in His Word or in 
the life and conduct of others ? Examine and see ; try your- 
self by the rule of God's Word, and remember that " not 
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father 
which is in heaven." We are living in times and circum- 
stances in which we cannot, without great guilt, shut our 
eyes or ears or steel our hearts against the reception of God's 
truth, as shown in His providential dealings with us. See to 
it that ye quit yourselves like men in the discharge of the 
grave responsibilities laid upon you. 



15 

God : s wonder-working hand has been as plainly manifest in 
our recent history, as a nation, as ever before. The dark night 
of rebellion and war, in which our giant wrong and shame 
have perished, will be succeeded by the brightest day which 
ever dawned upon a regenerated people. But you have duties 
as well as privileges in the future. Hundreds of thousands of 
lives have been sacrificed, but it will not have been in vain if 
now each one, standing in his place, will, in the fear of God 
and with direct reference to his glory, discharge individual 
responsibility. 

Our great and good leader, our noble President, has fallen, 
just as his eyes beheld the gilding of the coming morn. Thus, 
by his blood, he sealed the testimony which in life he gave for 
the cause of human liberty — for the cause of righteousness and 
truth. But when the enemies of liberty and truth slew him, 
they all unwittingly placed upon his brow the martyr's wreath. 
If there was one thing yet wanting to complete the circlet of 
his glory here, they gave it him when they caused it to be said, 
that for the principles for which Abraham Lincoln so faithfully 
labored, so patiently endured, he laid down his life also. And 
now he wears the victor's crown in glory. " He rests from his 
labors and his works do follow him." 

Finally, be of good cheer in reference to the future of our 
land. We have passed through fire, but it was to purify, not 
to destroy. We have passed through the storm, but it was to 
strengthen, not to overcome. We have passed through the 
flood, but it was to cleanse and not to overwhelm. We are 
passing — we have, as a nation, already passed — to a higher 
stand-point in morals and religion, the principles which shall 
yet rule the world. " The watchman saith, the morning 
cometh ! " Yes, the morning breaks radiant with liberty and 
Union, with peace and brotherhood and prosperity, such as our 
eyes have not yet beheld. Take home to your hearts the 



16 



Word of God. Be cheered by its promise, be guided by its 
instructions, be moved by its warnings. 

The watchman saith, the morning cometh j and also the 
night. If ye will inquire, inquire ye. Return, come. 



USEFUL, BEAUTIFUL, 

HEALTH-BEGUILING BOOKS 



T. W ATSON'S MANUAL OF CALISTHENICS $1 23 

II. HAND-BOOK OF CALISTHENICS AND GYMNASTICS 2 00 

III. THE SAME. In Heavy Gilt 2 50 

F^~Sent by mail, prepaid, on receipt of the price. 

Each volume is an 8vo, printed on five and heavy tinted paper, richly and pr> 
t'uscly illustrated from original designs, with music to accompany the exercises. 
These works positively surpass all others on physical culture, in harmoniously 
blending the scientific and the practical, in the variety and completeness of the 
classes of movements, and in the adaptation of the exercises to the wants of both 
sexes and persons of all ages. In the first, all the exercises are without apparatus ; 
in the second, complete courses of exercises are given both with and without ap- 
paratus. The exercises are adapted to the parlor, and embrace some of the most 
excellent life-infusing games and sports ever known. 

To consumptives, dyspeptics, invalids in general, and the sedentary, to all who 
wish to secure physical beauty, muscular strength and robust health, the use of 
these books will prove invaluable. It is when health is lost or impaired that one 
can sympathize with the assertion of Professor Kloss, that " He who has it has all 
things ; he who lacks it has nothing." 

These books are superbly bound, and will grace any library or table. 

The work is the most complete and elaborate. — N. Y. Evening Post. 

We heartily commend it to all who prize physical culture, health, and symme- 
trical education. It will find its way into all* our schools and families. — Continen- 
tal Monthly. 

Every person not accustomed to daily manual labor in the open air ought to 
pursue this system of exercise. The health of the whole community would be 
promoted. — N. Y. Observer. 

A volume both valuable and beautiful ; it surpasses all its predecessors. — The 
Independent. 

It teaches the best means of educating the human body simultaneously with the 
human mind.— The Albion. 

It is very comprehensive in its character, embracing several topics which have 
never before been included in one treatise. The subject is treated in a most care- 
ful and exact form, and illustrated in a style which leaves nothing to be desired. — 
Sun day- School Times. 

To those in authority, whose influence would be effectual in promoting the cir- 
culation of this book, it becomes a positive duty so to do by every means in their 
power. All who have the physical welfare of the human race at heart, and under- 
stand how powerless the intellect is to contend against the burden of a feeble and 
emaciated frame, are equally interested in its teachings, and answerable, each in 
ins own Rphere, however small it may be, for the consequences of neglecting them. 
— New York Daily Times. 

Truly a book that every family should have. The whole subject of thorough 
bodily exercise is made as attractive as it is important. — Harpers Weekly. 

The book cannot be too highly recommended. — Home Journal. 

We practiced these exercises to recover health ; we advise others to practice 
them to keep it. . . . These books are a credit to the American press. — London 
Reader. 

SCHERMERHORN, BANCROFT & CO., Publishers, 

130 Grand-street. N. Y., and 512 Arch-street, Phil 



THE AMERICAN 

EDUCATIONAL MONTHLY. 



" It should be read in every family" 



Among the more important papers for 18G5, will he "A Digest of 
Pedagogical Law ;" "Diseases Peculiar to Teachers, because of their 
Professional Pursuits, and the Means of Prevention;" "True Pro- 
nunciation of Geographical Names ;" " Letters from Europe," by a 
distinguished American Teacher, <fcc. 

The publishers of the American Educational Monthly are 
determined that it shall be a live Monthly, interesting and valuable 
to every educated man and woman in America. It will contain 
practical articles on Physical Culture, Object teaching, Languages. 
Duties of Parents and Teachers, the best Modes of Teaching, the best 
Schools, the best School Books, the best School Furniture and Appar- 
atus, with histories of " the old Schools." Each number will contain 
a summary of what is new in " Science and the Arts ;" items of 
Educational Intelligence ; and occasionally a racy Pedagogical Story, 
to revive pleasant memories of school days. In short, every live 
question which will interest the Parent and Teacher will be discussed 
with freedom and vigor. 

^ ith the January number we shall present to our subscribers a 
new, beautiful, and accurate, colored miniature of Guyot's great Wall 
Map of the United States. It gives the physical features, and all the 
points of the great map. It is alone worth the price of the Monthly. 



TERMS. 
$1.50 per annum, in advance. Single numbers, 15 cents. 

Special and extra terms are offered for the present only. Each 
subscriber will be entitled to any two single numbers (or one double 
number) of the Pulpit and Rostrum. For list of Pulpit and Ros- 
trum apply to the undersigned. 

|^"Anypcnson who sends us five subscriptions, will receive one copy extra. 

SCHERMEMHORN, BANCROFT & CO., Publishers. 

130 Grind Street, New York. 



LE S 12 



